In Russia, free access to the internet is becoming increasingly restricted.
Telecommunications regulator Roskomnadzor recently blocked some 56,000 websites for refusing to remove content Moscow considers extremist, Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev reported this week.
At the same time, the minister defended a new controversial law that criminalises searching for such content. The law provides for fines for intentionally searching for “extremist content” online. Criticism of the Kremlin is typically classified as such.
Shadayev said that “ordinary users” would not encounter any problems. The law was passed on Tuesday by a majority in the Moscow parliament, the Duma. The law had already sparked protests before it was passed. Protesters were also arrested outside the parliament building.
